Five keys to keep an eye on as the Seahawks attempt to pull off a rare 10 a.m. road win against a quality opponent. (Seattle hasn’t won a road game against a team that wound up making the playoffs since 2004).

1) Beast Mode vs. Monsters of the Midway

Marshawn Lynch figures to bring a long-missing physical presence to the Seahawks running game, but this won’t be the easiest debut given Chicago’s formidable front.

The Bears defense ranks third in the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed (78.6 per game) and fifth in fewest yards per attempt (3.5). Lynch has never played against Chicago in his four years in the NFL.

Marshawn Lynch

Coach Pete Carroll won’t reveal his starting running back until game time, but rest assured that Lynch will get plenty of chances. I’d expect something in the 15-20 carry range assuming Seattle gets doesn’t fall way behind early.

Lynch’s season highs are 17 carries and 79 yards and he’s yet to score a TD, but Buffalo was mixing him in with Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller.

Seattle would love him to be a workhorse back, with Justin Forsett as the counter attack, and the Seahawks hope his increased threat also opens up the passing game by improving the play-action threat and keeping defenses honest.

Chicago gave up 189 yards rushing to the NY Giants when Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 129. But the Bears held Detroit to 20 yards on 21 carries, Dallas to 36 yards on 20 carries and Green Bay to 63 on 15.

2) You want some Peppers on that rookie?

Julius Peppers has been just what the Bears were hoping when they signed the free agent defensive end this season to a six-year, $91 million deal. The 30-year-old has nine quarterback pressures, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception to lead Chicago’s highly-ranked defense.

Russell Okung

At 6-7, 283 pounds, he’s a handful for any offensive tackle. And while the Bears flop him from side to side, you can bet he’ll frequently find himself lined up opposite Seahawks rookie Russell Okung as Seattle’s first-round draft pick makes just his second start since recovering from a preseason ankle sprain.

No, it’s not the easiest matchup for Okung this early in career, but they don’t let you pick your opponents in the NFL.

“It’s like a rodeo,” said Seahawks line coach Art Valero. “You’ve got to ride the bull that comes out of Chute 8. That’s yours, whether you want him or you don’t. … You have no choice. If you’re afraid, go to church.”

Seahawks fans will settle for praying that Okung’s ankle is fully healthy and the youngster is ready to deal with one of the game’s biggest impact players.

3) Hasselbeck seeks his groove

Quarterbacks always draw the lion’s share of blame when things don’t go well, so I generally defend Hasselbeck when critics attempt to lay all the team’s struggles on his shoulders.

Matt Hasselbeck

But there’s no question Hasselbeck needs to play better if the Seahawks are to have a chance, especially on the road. Some of this falls on the offensive line’s need to protect better in noisy crowd situations, but Hasselbeck’s QB rating in the two road games has been 51.2 and 58.9 compared to 108.3 and 77.6 at Qwest this season.

That’s largely the result of four interceptions and one TD on the road vs. three TDs and two picks at home.

Hasselbeck’s veteran smarts and experience might be the one thing holding together an offense with so many new players being added even with the season underway, but he hasn’t looked as sharp this year and could use a big game in a tough situation.

This one figures to be as tough as they come, given the Bears’ ability to pressure and force mistakes. Hasselbeck always has an interesting mind-game matchup with middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, who tries to read his audibles and fake audibles and engage in pre-snap chess matches.

4) Hang on to the rock

Coach Pete Carroll’s constant mantra is protect the football on offense and force turnovers on defense.

Pete Carroll

It’s not exactly a new theory, but Carroll is as big on winning the turnover battle as any coach.

The Bears’ defense happens to lead the NFL in turnovers forced with 14, so that indeed will be a critical detail Sunday.

Since coach Lovie Smith took over in 2004, Chicago has forced the most turnovers in the league with 214, so the Seahawks know what’s coming.

“Julius Peppers is probably the defensive player of the year by far after the first five games,” said Seahawks receiver Brandon Stokley, one of Seattle’s numerous newcomers trying to help ignite the offense. “Urlacher and (Lance) Briggs are great linebackers. They’re fast, quick and cause a lot of turnovers. We need to hold onto the ball. I think that’ll be the most important thing for us.”

5) Don’t let The Cutler do it

Seattle’s defense has been stunningly successful at stopping the run this season, ranking No. 2 in the league. That means they should be able to contain Matt Forte, who ran for 166 yards last week against Carolina.

One major concern there is the health of defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, who suffered a significant calf strain in practice this week and will be a game-time decision. Mebane might be the most underrated player on the Seahawks and is a force inside.

Mebane missed one game last year — the game Frank Gore ran for 207 yards for the 49ers — and was sidelined in the second half this season against San Diego when the Chargers’ offense went wild.

Jay Cutler

But presuming the Seahawks can do a capable job against Chicago’s run, this one is going to come down to whether Seattle lets Bears quarterback Jay Cutler be the good Jay or the bad Jay.

The Bears have big problems with their offensive line (Cutler was sacked nine times in the first half alone two weeks ago against the Giants before suffering a concussion), but Seattle rarely gets much heat on quarterbacks in road games.

The Seahawks need Aaron Curry to be more of a force and join Chris Clemons as a consistent threat, while also unleashing blitzes from various angles to keep Cutler off balance.

Otherwise he has the ability to carve up a Seahawks defense that has given up 455 yards passing to Philip Rivers, 307 to Kyle Orton and 289 to Sam Bradford in the last three weeks.

Cutler has a tendency to force things at time, but he was very good in Chicago’s first three games before getting knocked out by the Giants. The Bears beat Carolina 23-6 last week despite a miserable four-interception performance by backup Todd Collins.

If Cutler has time to carve up Seattle in tandem with the Bears’ dominant defense, it could be a long day for the Seahawks. But if they can pressure him into making mistakes — and the Bears have given up an NFL-high 21 sacks — that would go a long way toward making this game interesting indeed.